The evaporator in your air conditioner is where the heat exchange takes place. The cold refrigerant pulls heat and humidity from the air as it flows through the coils in the evaporator. This part of the air conditioner is in the air handler and is made up of copper coils that allow refrigerant to flow through, and a drip pan catches the condensation that's created in the cooling process.

If something goes wrong during the heat exchange, your home won't cool down properly. Here are some problems that could arise with your AC evaporator and repairs that could be necessary.

The Coils Get Coated With Dust

The refrigerant can't do its job very well when the evaporator coils are dirty. Your air conditioner will probably cycle on and off normally and blow air, but the air won't be as cold as it's supposed to be. This problem can be solved by cleaning off the coils. The air conditioning repair technician can use cleaning foam to loosen dirt and remove it from the coils.

The Coils Ice Over

Another problem that happens with the coils is ice formation. This can happen due to dust buildup, but it also happens when the refrigerant is low. Your AC can't work properly when it's coated in ice, so you'll need to shut the AC off so the ice can melt.

A residential air conditioning repair service has tools to check the refrigerant line pressure to see if it's out of range. If the refrigerant is low, your house won't cool down until the proper level is restored. However, this involves finding the leak first. Once the refrigerant leak is plugged, the refrigerant can be filled to its normal level so the heat exchange process works optimally again.

The Coils Corrode

Evaporator coils can corrode. This happens due to exposure to volatile organic compounds in the air from the off-gassing of building materials and cleaning products in your home. When copper corrodes, it develops tiny pinhole leaks. These holes allow refrigerant to escape, so your AC won't be able to cool down your home. If the coils have several tiny holes, replacing the coils could be a better option than making repairs to them.

Replacing the evaporator coils can be a big job, but it will make a difference in how well the AC can cool down your home. However, when your air conditioner isn't cooling down your home very well, don't automatically assume you're facing a big repair such as replacing the evaporator coils.

There are many reasons your AC malfunctions, and the problem could be as simple as a filter that's covered in dust. Running your air conditioner when it isn't working properly could harm the parts, so call a residential air conditioning repair service to figure out what's wrong with your equipment and make repairs, like A1 Zuzu Plumbing, Heating and Air.